Piper PA-28R-180 N4658J

Summary

On 10 June 2003 at about 00:25 local time, a Piper PA-28R-180 registered N4658J was involved in an accident near Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 June 2003 at 00:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Olive Branch (OLV)

Coordinates

34.9806, -89.7867

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-180

Registration

N4658J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olive Branch → Batesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA03LA119

4 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's operation of the airplane with known deficiencies (water contamination of the fuel) resulting in loss of engine power shortly after takeoff and damage to airframe during the subsequent forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After departure from runway 18, about 350 feet above the ground, the pilot reported that the engine "started to sputter." He could not maintain altitude and attempted a forced landing on a taxiway located perpendicular to the departure runway. The airplane struck trees and brush before it impacted with the terrain, approximately 250 feet short of the runway. Examination of the airplane's fuel at the wreckage site revealed the presence of water in the right main fuel tank using water-finding paste. The engine test run revealed that on the initial run the engine would advance to 2,200 rpm and immediately dropped to 1,200 rpm. Examination of the fuel system revealed that the number 4 fuel injector nozzle was 70 percent obstructed with debris, water was found in all the fuel injectors, and the fuel servo screen was found 30 percent obstructed with corrosion. Corrections to the discrepancies were performed, and the engine was tested again with the same results. An examination of the fuel servo revealed that the fuel diaphragm chamber contained deposits of a white milky substance consistent with water contamination in the fuel, and a service bulletin requiring the unit to be overhauled was not complied with. The airplane had flown a total of 11.18 hours since the last annual. The pilot was aware of water infiltration into the right wing fuel tank after heavy rain. The pilot stated on the day of the accident a tablespoon of water was sump from the right wing. The pilot's flight logbook records indicated the accident airplane flew on May 1, 10, and 11 before fueling on May 12, 2003, with 13.7 gallons of 100 LL aviation fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.